NOTTINGHAM, England (AP) — New Zealand won the toss against England and opted to bat first in the third and deciding test at a sweltering Trent Bridge on Thursday.
The series is tied at 1-1 and the weather might have a big role in Nottingham, where uncommon temperatures in Britain of 31 C (88 F) are forecast and a dry surface looks good for the batters.
England is attempting to steady itself after a crisis brought about by captain Ben Stokes and fast bowler Gus Atkinson having a night out after the first-test win at Lord's.
They were dropped for the second test — won convincingly by the Kiwis last week — but have been recalled for Nottingham, with Stokes reclaiming the captaincy from Joe Root. Wicketkeeper Jamie Smith is back from paternity leave and Shoaib Bashir is in as a spin option, replacing pacer Sonny Baker.
New Zealand has lost two key players — strike bowler Matt Henry and middle-order batter Glenn Phillips — because of injury, while pacer Kyle Jamieson is rested to manage his workload after recent back problems. Spinner Mitchell Santner came in, along with rookie seamers Blair Tickner and Ben Sears, who have seven tests between them.
Lineups:
England: Ben Duckett, Emilio Gay, Jacob Bethell, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith, Ben Stokes (captain), Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir.
New Zealand: Tom Latham (captain), Devon Conway, Henry Nicholls, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell, Mitchell Santner, Nathan Smith, Blair Tickner, Ben Sears, Will O’Rourke.
AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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Dirk van Ulden said:
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